[QUOTE=jEstEr?]your brakes will hit upwards of 600 degrees doing a lap of wanneroo[/QUOTE]
Valid comment but I don't think your brakes will stay at that temperature for more than 10 mins. Besides the brakes are near the rims and not the rims themselves :)

It's a pointless argument since none of us are really any experts on this subject.

[QUOTE=pete gopal]Valid comment but I don't think your brakes will stay at that temperature for more than 10 mins. [/QUOTE]

You've obviously never been in the car with me :P

The temperature and time that wheels would be in an oven for powder coating purposes will not be enough to change the physical properties of the wheel.

Yes you are putting them in at a temperature where it is possible to change the properties of the metal (if held for a long period of time, or rapid heating/cooling occurs).

If a wheel is properly powdercoated, there will be no problems. Only when it is done incorrectly (too hot / too long) can the physical properties of the wheel change.

[QUOTE=jEstEr?]You've obviously never been in the car with me :P[/QUOTE]
No I haven't...and I want to live :)

I've read that one of the biggest causes of failure is where the powdercoater heats the rims up to well over 700-800 degrees to bake the existing coat/paint off. Also incorrect sandblasting can cause minute valleys/peaks in the metal that weakens the structure. I think the actual powdercoating process itself is unlikely to cause catastrophic failure, providing the preparation is done correctly.

That being said, one of my mates at work is studying metallurgy, and he said the powdercoating process will begin to alter the metallurgy of the rim, but its so minor that it will take a very long time (20 years maybe) to see any effects, if at all.

[QUOTE=Lorry]I've read that one of the biggest causes of failure is where the powdercoater heats the rims up to well over 700-800 degrees to bake the existing coat/paint off. Also incorrect sandblasting can cause minute valleys/peaks in the metal that weakens the structure. I think the actual powdercoating process itself is unlikely to cause catastrophic failure, providing the preparation is done correctly.

That being said, one of my mates at work is studying metallurgy, and he said the powdercoating process will begin to alter the metallurgy of the rim, but its so minor that it will take a very long time (20 years maybe) to see any effects, if at all.[/QUOTE]

Having said that I'll explain what the powder coating process looks like. Normally a bare metal is placed into a number of solutions (acidic and basic) in order to prepare the metal for powdercoating. This is done so the powder 'sticks' to the metal. Remember this is done on a bare metal.

If there is already some sort of paint on the metal, to save time (instead of paint stripping the metal first and then going thru the solutions) we used to heat it up in the oven and while really hot, put new powder on it and place it back in the oven. While the metal is really hot the powder 'sticks' to it fairly well (not as well as if it was to go thru the solutions).

So if the process is done correctly...paint stripped, metal prepared...then i guess from the above anwser there shouldn't be a problem.

What temperature is 'really hot' ?

Our oven used to run around 250C, sometimes 300C depending on the weather etc. Having said that the ovens temps will vary depending where you go to do your powdercoating.

Make up ur mind...when it comes to cosmetics though powdercoating is heaps better than painting, i've said it already. 'Charcoal Metallic' for your FMIC pipes and Rocket cover...looks mint

Cheers.

Just checking what 'hot' is. Up to 300 degrees is ok. To me 600-1000 is hot :D

An eskimo might say that 10C is hot to him :D